Exact same recipes as before (with a slight change to the peas), but different plating and a garnish of edible flowers and mint, and a salad of clover sprouts and celery heart leaves.

I wanted the pea gel to set with a less dense texture, but still hold it's shape. So I added a bit of xanthan gum to the mix....... which never set. So I ended up with a very thick puree instead of a slightly looser gel. *sigh* But the addition of the sprout garnish really picked things up, giving a nice textural crunch and a pop of acid from the lemon juice dressing.

i think you have some killer components to make a solid plating work. a literal pie shape, for one example. it would be a, for lack of a better term, whimsical play on a contemporary pie where the pea gel, in a triangular shape, would rest on a flowers/mint/sprout crust (would a sear ruin the sprout/flowers?--getting that extra crunch factor would be awesome). on top of the pea gel would be your sous vide protein and topped off with the mash potato "whipped topping" slightly toasted to give that meringue look.

i think it would turn out pretty killer.

your other option would be to completely mess with the eater of the meal and make it look like a spaghetti/meatball dish. a twisted mound of pea noodles with a protein ball with a stock gravy. if you boil potatoes (season obvs) and shred them, you could make a "grated cheese" look to the faux-ghetti.

canaan wrote:i think you have some killer components to make a solid plating work. a literal pie shape, for one example. it would be a, for lack of a better term, whimsical play on a contemporary pie where the pea gel, in a triangular shape, would rest on a flowers/mint/sprout crust (would a sear ruin the sprout/flowers?--getting that extra crunch factor would be awesome). on top of the pea gel would be your sous vide protein and topped off with the mash potato "whipped topping" slightly toasted to give that meringue look.

i think it would turn out pretty killer.

your other option would be to completely mess with the eater of the meal and make it look like a spaghetti/meatball dish. a twisted mound of pea noodles with a protein ball with a stock gravy. if you boil potatoes (season obvs) and shred them, you could make a "grated cheese" look to the faux-ghetti.

Some interesting ideas there. The original conception that had I had was to make a mini "cake"; The sous vide and seared lamb would be cut into medallions then the pea puree would be sort of 'painted' onto each. Two of these per plate, and the potato mousse would be piped all around and smoothed over like fondant. Topped with a sauce gelled in a hemisphere mold so it would be several little domes on the plate, which would be garnished simply with mint leaves. I ran the idea by Mrs Tif and she just gave me the stinkeye. Then I ran it past a good friend at work, and he paused for a moment and then said, "That's a terrible idea! If I order cake and you bring me lamb, I would be p1ssed!"...... as if it wouldn't say what it was on the menu.

(Although I don't want full Black and Blue, but a pretty decent rare to medium rare is good.)

Blow torch.

Leaves it too black and blue.

I'm thinking 700-800 degree grill but I'm wondering should it be coated in olive oil or butter to help it char.

700-800 degrees + olive oil = bitter, rancid oil as the first thing you'll taste when you put a slice in your mouth.

Cook it slow at the desired temp of doneness until you reach equilibrium (surface temp and core temp are equal) to insure against overcooking; you literally cannot overcook your steak if the heat source is not hotter than your intended target temp. For example, I prefer steak on the rare side. So I cook at 52°C/125°F for about 40-45 minutes, then finish them with a quick sear.

There are a variety of ways to accomplish the low-temp cook. If your oven will go that low, that's a great way to cook a roast-size cut; you can leave it in overnight to really break down the protein strands and produce a super tender final product. (I could set my old oven to 52°C/125°F, but the one in our new house has digital controls that won't go below 65°C/150°F.... so no more 24-hour ribeye for me.) If you do this, buy an oven thermometer - they're only $6 or $7 - and set the temp off that rather than relying on your oven's gauges. When done, let the roast rest, portion, and sear.

Or there are options for cooking 'ghetto sous vide':

Pot on a stove:

Insulated water cooler:

Running water:

Full sink method:

I've cooked things from salmon to lamb rib racks to NY strip steaks using each of these methods. Whatever way you choose, maintaining a consistent temp is critical. And you'll want to sear post-cook to develop the crust. Whether using the low oven, or one of the ghetto sous vide methods, you'll want to sear quickly - no more than about 45 - 60 seconds per side in a super hot pan with some butter and thyme - turning every 10-15 seconds, per the Heston Blumenthal vide that was shared several days ago. You can also use a propane torch, but then you can't really bring the added flavor of butter and thyme to the table, unless you baste the steak prior to service with a thyme-infused clarified butter. If you're feeling like a baller, you can sear the steak using a deep fryer with a fat that's been infused with some herbs. Set it to 200°C/390°F and add the steak for no more than about 20 seconds. Ka-blammo.

The techniques allow you to have a great, flavorful crust on the surface of the steak, while at the same time maintaining the uniform doneness across the full thickness of the steak that the low cooking temp achieved, a la the attached pic.

Spoiler:

Compare with this traditionally cooked strip steak:

Spoiler:

I don't think too many people who prefer no more than medium rare would complain about the way this steak was cooked (except to point out that they probably cooked at too low a temp). But you can see the gray band of 'over done' under the sear that wraps around the full steak. This is practically unavoidable with conventional cooking methods. Cooking at equilibrium temps provides, imo, the absolute best outcomes. The only downside is it requires considerably more time.... but it's passive, so I don't have any problems with that.

I need some new chicken flavors. Lately I've been on a chicken cook but I find I either grill it up and eat it with a side, bread and bake it with egg (or light mayo if i'm out of eggs), or just bake it with some stuffing and gravy. I tried garlic last night and it wasn't horrible, but it only had garlic flavor.

mac5155 wrote:I need some new chicken flavors. Lately I've been on a chicken cook but I find I either grill it up and eat it with a side, bread and bake it with egg (or light mayo if i'm out of eggs), or just bake it with some stuffing and gravy. I tried garlic last night and it wasn't horrible, but it only had garlic flavor.

Just roast it. A properly roast chicken is one of the most satisfying things to cook and eat..... and it's dirt simple.

Pre-heat oven to 230°C/450°F. Temper chicken to room temp, rinse under cool water and pat dry - inside and out - with paper towels. (The drier the better; the more steam you create, the less crispy the skin will get.) Remove the wishbone, and truss. Salt with a heavy hand - again, inside and out - and then place in your cooking vessel (I usually use a 10" saute pan) with no added fat. You can add a few bits of chopped thyme leaf, but I usually reserve this (and ground black pepper) for post-cook seasoning. Pop in the oven and cook until the temp at the thigh hits 65°C/150°F, which, depending on the size of the bird, will take between 45 minutes and an hour. Remove and let rest for about 10-12 minutes before carving (longer time for larger birds). Carve off the bits you want to eat, reserve the rest, keep the carcass for stock. I like to serve it with a sauce of Dijon mustard loosened with a bit of warm water, and simple veggies like carrots and asparagus.... like this!

Sure, you could. It would be a bit difficult to get the timing right, because the mass of the whole chicken acts as a heat sink and regulates the oven temp more evenly. (As a general rule, I think it's better to cook the largest hunk of protein you can feasibly manage at the time and then portion to serve or package for storage.) And the chicken breast isn't a uniform thickness, so you'll have more varied levels of doneness by the time the whole thing is cooked.

Hate to keep banging the equilibrium/low-temperature drum, but I think that would be best and then sear the breast in a scorching hot pan or oven for a minute to crisp the skin. You can consume poultry cooked to a much lower temperature of doneness when you cook to equilibrium, which preserves a lot more of the flavor of the animal. Remember, pasteurization is not just a function of heat, it's a function of time and heat. The reason why commercial pasteurization is done at such high temperatures is because it's much quicker. But if you set your water bath for, say, 58°C/137°F and cook it for two hours, you'll end up with a deliciously uniform, medium-rare piece of meat that has no bugs left to make you sick.

mac5155 wrote:I need some new chicken flavors. Lately I've been on a chicken cook but I find I either grill it up and eat it with a side, bread and bake it with egg (or light mayo if i'm out of eggs), or just bake it with some stuffing and gravy. I tried garlic last night and it wasn't horrible, but it only had garlic flavor.

You can hit chicken with any number of rubs, brines, marinades, spice pastes, etc. before baking, grilling, or broiling. Try a rub of garlic powder, onion powder, salt, sugar, and smoked paprika. Marinate chicken in Italian salad dressing. Try a marinade of soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and saké or white wine. Try it Cuban-style marinated in a 50/50 blend of orange juice and lime juice with salt, garlic, cumin, and oregano. Rub it with curry powder or garam masala. The possibilities are darn near endless.

I went with some semi boneless strip steaks on the grill today. After brushing off all the stink bugs under the grill cover, I tried some of that indirect cooking method you outlined Shyster. Results weren't horrible but I got impatient and finished them off with direct heat.. Lol

I picked up some top round roasts, and want to try Italian beef sandwiches. Think that will work? With some bouillon, and a spice rub, at 400 for about an hour (to medium-ish).. It's about 1.6 lbs each, I'll just make 1 at a time. Never done top round before.

Shyster wrote:Try it Cuban-style marinated in a 50/50 blend of orange juice and lime juice with salt, garlic, cumin, and oregano.

Have you ever experimented with this imitation sour orange mix? I can never get it right, it's either nowhere near enough sour or Pucker City. I've tried three different kind of oranges, limes from two different countries, infusing the juice with zest....... I just.... can't..... get it....!

There's supposedly a place in southern California that grows for-real sour oranges (like in Cuba!), but I've never seen them in stores. That flavor is a major component of Cuban cooking, and I'm always dissatisfied with my results. Shoot, the local Cuban restaurants don't even really do it that well.

mac5155 wrote:I picked up some top round roasts, and want to try Italian beef sandwiches. Think that will work? With some bouillon, and a spice rub, at 400 for about an hour (to medium-ish).. It's about 1.6 lbs each, I'll just make 1 at a time. Never done top round before.

It should work. Indirect grilling is basically the same as oven roasting, so if a cut of meat will work in the oven, it should work on the grill.

I took an entire bag of spinach, blanched it quick, sauteed some baby bella mushrooms and garlic in butter. threw in the spinach when it was ready to go, then threw in some parmesan cheese at the end. Topped it on the plate with some grilled chicken that was marinated overnight in a balsamic vinaigrette. It was fantastic.

mac5155 wrote:I went with some semi boneless strip steaks on the grill today. After brushing off all the stink bugs under the grill cover, I tried some of that indirect cooking method you outlined Shyster. Results weren't horrible but I got impatient and finished them off with direct heat.. Lol

I picked up some top round roasts, and want to try Italian beef sandwiches. Think that will work? With some bouillon, and a spice rub, at 400 for about an hour (to medium-ish).. It's about 1.6 lbs each, I'll just make 1 at a time. Never done top round before.

Steaks should be cooked directly to sear in the juices.

Roasts are definitely indirect. I usually do about 350 degrees for about 60-90 minutes until core reads 130 or so for medium rare.

blackjack68 wrote:Steaks should be cooked directly to sear in the juices.

False perception: searing absolutely does not keep the juices in. The sound we know as 'sizzling' is actually the juices in the product flash vaporizing against the hot pan. A steak that has been cooked to medium doneness will have lost probably around 40% of its pre-cook weight..... all of it juices.

Cut-for-cut, the juiciness of a steak is a function of two things: cooking time, and briefly resting post-cook. The reason for searing is to kill any surface bacteria on the meat and to develop a flavorful brown Maillard crust.